


New Days and Old Faces

by Sir_Bedevere



Series: Dragonstone Days [5]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-20
Updated: 2013-03-20
Packaged: 2017-12-05 22:25:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/728578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sir_Bedevere/pseuds/Sir_Bedevere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“My cousin,” he said politely, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it, “It is good to meet you at last.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Days and Old Faces

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, it's been a while hasn't it?

“You will like having him here, my lady,” Devan said, “He will be your equal. You won’t have to be by yourself when I have to do my work.”

Shireen wasn’t convinced and she curled in on herself. They were sat at the top of the tower, their favourite place, and later on her cousin Edric Storm would be coming to live with them. He was Uncle Robert’s bastard but he had been living with Uncle Renly until now. Maester Pylos had told them he was coming but he wouldn’t say why, other than that Edric couldn’t live at Storm’s End now that Uncle Renly had been killed.

Devan must have seen she was not sure, because he spoke again.

“It’s fun to have brothers, my lady. Edric will be like a brother to you.”

“You’re like my brother,” she said sincerely, “I don’t need another one.”

Devan blushed and didn’t answer her. He never did when she told him that she loved him. He didn’t know what to say. That was alright. She knew he felt the same.

“And anyway,” she added, “What if he is mean? Joffrey was mean to me and he was Uncle Robert’s son too.”

Devan shrugged.

“Just because Prince Joffrey is one way doesn’t mean Edric will be that way too. My father says that Prince Joffrey isn’t like other people.”

“I hope you are right,” she sighed, and then froze when she heard the tell-tale groan of the front gate shuddering open from the other side of the castle. No one else was expected today.

“He’s here,” she whispered, “Come on.”

They ran the whole way and found her father, along with the Lady Melisandre and Maester Pylos, standing with a small party that included a boy who was a little tiny bit taller than Devan and looked so much like Uncle Robert that it was unmistakeable who he was. Father was talking and the boy stared up at him, his blue eyes wide. Shireen felt sorry for him then; Father was quite scary until you got to know him. She would have to tell Edric that. Glancing around, she saw Mother watching from a balcony. Shireen waved but Mother just shook her head and turned away. 

“Shireen!”

Father called her and she scuttled over, Devan on her heels. Edric looked at her, his head on one side. He looked briefly at her scarred cheek but he didn’t stare, not like most people did. And he smiled. She smiled back.

“Shireen, this is your cousin, Edric Storm,” Father said, “Edric, this is the Princess Shireen. And my squire, Devan Seaworth. You will take your lessons with them both and your arms training with Devan.”

Edric nodded, “Yes, Uncle. I mean, yes Your Grace.”

Father looked at his nephew for a long moment and shook his head, “You may call me Uncle. You will refer to your aunt by her title until she instructs you otherwise.”

Edric nodded again and watched as Father turned on his heel and strode away. Lady Melisandre, smiling secretly, followed him. Maester Pylos stayed for a moment longer.

“I will give you a day off your lessons today,” he said gently, “Show Edric the castle and get to know one another. I will see you all at dinner.”

There was an awkward silence for a few brief seconds once the maester had left, and then Edric offered Devan his arm to grasp in greeting.

“They said your father died at Blackwater. I am sorry. My father is dead too and my uncle died at Blackwater as well. Let’s learn to fight together so that we can avenge them. ”

Devan, a little surprised at the gesture and at the bluntness of the words, recovered himself and took Edric’s arm. It was a greeting for men, not for boys, but they both enacted it very seriously. Then Edric turned to Shireen.

“My cousin,” he said politely, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it, “It is good to meet you at last.”

“And I am pleased to meet you,” she said, smiling a little at how good his manners seemed to be. He must have learned from Uncle Renly. Mother always said that Uncle Renly’s manners were the best thing about him.

The formalities over, Edric seemed to relax a little bit and so did Shireen, although Devan remained on guard for a while longer. They gave him a thorough tour of the castle, including the tower, and then showed him his room. He was in the same part of the castle as Shireen, only in a room slightly lower down the stairs, and she asked him if he liked stories, because Maester Pylos told her and Devan a story every evening by the fireplace that was in the room just under Edric’s.

“I do,” he said, “Especially ones about knights and dragons and sea monsters.”

“Devan likes those the best too,” she said, “That’s good.”

At that moment, Patchface wandered in from the corridor and wherever he had been hiding. He stopped dead when he saw Edric and cocked his head to one side. 

“The babe is back,” he mumbled to himself, “Back from the shadows, I know, I know.”

Then he went silent. Shireen held her breath and watched her cousin. Joffrey had been horrible to Patchface, calling him names and hurting him when no one was looking. Edric looked back at Patchface with fascination and then slowly held out his hand.

“I’ve never been here before,” he said, “But I am pleased to meet you.”

Patchface touched his fingers to Edric’s and sighed, before running once more from the room mumbling, “Shadows, shadows, I know, I know. Watch them, the shadows, oh, oh, oh.”

“Who was that?” Edric asked.

“Patchface, our fool. Don’t listen to him, he doesn’t know what he is saying. We like him though,” Shireen said, “He’s nice to us, in his own way, and he likes to play. He will be your friend too, if you want.”

“I do,” Edric said, “I’ll be his friend.”

And Shireen knew right then that, maybe, her cousin coming to stay wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

**Author's Note:**

> If I remember correctly, Patchface was around when Renly was young and so might be confused if a male child from that seemingly undilutable Baratheon gene-pool suddenly turned up.


End file.
